49ers rookie O-linemen can expect loud welcome to the NFL

When rookie right tackle Anthony Davis started training camp, he was 20 years old.

And now?

“I’m about 25,’’ Davis said, smiling.

The 49ers hope Davis and fellow rookie Mike Iupati are indeed growing up fast – aging like a fine line – because the kids make their NFL debuts against Seattle this week.

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Qwest Field makes for a daunting welcome. Since 2005, the Seahawks have drawn an NFL-high 95 false-start penalties out of their opponents. (The Vikings, in their raucous dome, rank second with 86.)

Davis, according to his birth certificate at least, will be 20 years, 11 months, and 1 day old for the regular-season opener, making him the youngest offensive lineman ever to start a game for the 49ers. (The previous youngest was Roland Lakes, who was 21 years, 11 months and 24 days old when he suited up in 1961).

Is Davis ready? He said the loudest venue he played in while at Rutgers was the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University and said it was ample preparation for what he’ll Sunday.

“Once you can’t hear the guy next to you talking, that’s loud,’’ Davis said. “That’s as loud as it gets.”

Iupati, the ol’ man who turned 23 on May 12, said he should be fine lining up at left guard. He’s close enough to see the snap and said the noise won’t be an issue. “I’m just going to go with the flow. I trust my center and the silent count,’’ he said. “And I trust myself as well.”

Quick hits

— Linebacker Ahmad Brooks, addressing reporters for the first time since his Aug. 6 injury, said he’s aiming to return for Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.

He also revealed that he suffered his lacerated kidney during a mishap with a blocking sled. Brooks said he was trying to fling the sled aside at the end of the drill but it bounced off the ground and struck him on the left side. Brooks said that he thought it was a rib injury at first, but later discovered he was urinating blood.

“That’s when I was like, ‘Wow, what’s going on?’’’ he said.

Brooks took a week off to rest before returning to weight-lifting and cardio work. He doesn’t expect to practice this week but is optimistic that he’ll be ready for the Monday night home opener on Sept. 20.

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The 49ers are eager to have him back. Brooks registered 6.0 sacks and four forced fumbles last season.

— Coach Mike Singletary identified improving the return game as a top priority during the off-season. But with the opener just days away, his punt returner remains the game guy who played third base in the old Abbott & Costello routine. “I don’t know,’’ Singletary said.

Candidates for Week 1 include rookie cornerback Phillip Adams, safety Reggie Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. Rookie Keith Kyle Williams had the inside track at the job during training camp but has yet to recover from a toe injury.

Singletary said he has to determine “what’s best for this game.”

He bristled a bit when asked if the 49ers were behind schedule in fixing a trouble spot from 2009.

“The fact that we don’t know who the punt returner will be does not mean we don’t have him,’’ Singletary said. “Last year we didn’t have a punt returner. This year I think we have two or three. It’s just a matter of who it’s going to be.”

— Familiarity will be a theme this week, with some prominent former 49ers now in Seattle including ex-general manager Scot McCloughan (now a senior assistant in the front office), ex-linebacker Jeff Ulbrich (now an assistant special teams coach) and recently released running back Michael Robinson (signed by Seattle on Sunday).

The theme extends to the head coaches: When Singletary was an NFL assistant coach looking for his break, he visited Pete Carroll’s powerhouse USC program several times over the years. Carroll is now in his first season as the Seahawks head coach.

“I think the most important thing that Pete Carroll did for me was really allowed me to go there and sit in on meetings and really get an understanding of a top flight program in college football,” Singletary said. “He let me come to the practices and let me have exposure to the coaches, so I will always be thankful for him allowing me to do that because not many coaches would, but he did. He had a lot of influence early on, he had a lot of influence.”

Link of the day

Rookie running back Anthony Dixon went from homeless to the NFL, but it wasn’t an easy journey. Click here for another terrific story by my teammate Mark Emmons.